It’s subtle, but if you look carefully the ND in the accompanying photos is missing the metallics, blues and purples in Soul Red, the signature color slathered on all modern Mazdas. No, it’s the appropriately named Classic Red, one of the three original colors available on the NA Miata at launch. Mazda is bringing it, along with some other sharp-looking cars, to the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Precious little is being said about the cars, but one thing we know is that it will be unveiled next January. Will it be a one-off? A limited edition? Steam-powered? No one knows, except that like all the cars in the Auto Salon lineup, it will likely not be available in North America.

That’s a shame, because some are real stunners. When the stock one was unveiled last month at the LA Auto Show, it looked a bit bland at first glance. But the longer we stared at it the better looking it got. Still, it was hard to convey in words. Thankfully, the Mazda CX-5 Custom Style shows exactly how alluring a crossover can look by simply adding 20-inch wheels, coilovers, and a few chrome-lined skirts.

Even less was added to the Roadster RF Custom Style. Just some aero bits along its perimeter and some suspension bolt-ons — strut tower brace, sway bar, and coilovers — and you have a modern compact sports car with classical beauty. This one comes with an exhaust too, but Mazda gave no word on whether that resulted in a performance gain.

As you might have guessed, there’s also a CX-3 Custom Style, which adds fewer aero bits than the CX-5, a set of ride-height-lowering coilovers, and leaves the wheels stock. Suddenly, a compact crossover is transformed into a pretty nifty looking hot hatch.

Sadly, none of these are expected to come to the US, especially not the Demio Custom Style, since the Mazda2 is now a Scion. The Custom Style body kits and suspension upgrades will likely be offered as dealer options in Japan, but these photos will be the closest we’ll ever get.

While we think some die-hard Miata enthusiasts would go for the Classic Red ND, we’re not going to hold our breaths for it to be offered in the US. Thanks to last year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, we’ve already seen what an ND would look like in Mariner Blue. There’s something old school cool about solid colors, and it would be neat to see Mazda come out with some other classic Miata hues.

As much as I like the styling of the new MX-5, the colors are nothing less than boring. NA Classic Red would do much to make a good design great. I bought a Classic Red NA in 1989 and still own the car. Makes me smile every time I look at it.

Soul Red is a nice colour, but it looks too much like a glamour item and not especially sporty to me. I wouldn’t drive Soul Red, and (in Soviet Russia) Soul Red drove me away from the ND. Classic red, however, would put the ND on my short list. Sporty and fiery and determined…and CLASSIC. It will look good forever. BTW, Mazda, I am one of your target demographics.

I really like that 2/Demio with its’ pure Mazda/hatchback looks. No (eeuggh) trunk, no ’57 Chevy truck grille hung off the front. If it were available here in this form I’d probably like it more than I like not having a car payment…if only gas had stayed over $3.50/gallon…